4.0 Promotions
5.0 The workshop
5.1 The Inventory
5.2 Work in Progress

6.0 The Machines
7.0 The Prints
8.0 Reflection

1.0

INTRODUCTION

Invented by Johannes Gutenberg in Mid 15th century, the
letterpress was one of the first printing techniques introduced.
It uses a relief print, which not only makes it look good, but also
makes it tactile. W ith new printing techniques and improving
technology the letterpress is now almost obsolete. The letterpress
has undergone revival in countries like the USA, and the UK, under
the “small press movement’. New letterpresses known as the ‘digital
letterpress’ have also taken form. Though in India letterpress still
remains highly unrecognized or unavailable. This project is an
outcome of my undying passion for letterpress, though after much
research and tête-à-tête, I figured why just letterpress? Why not
an integration of many hand printing techniques? This not only
makes my product versatile, it opens doors for great amounts
of experimentation amongst young artists and designers. And
thus, here is Print By Hand. An initiative to revive hand printing
techniques by making a table top, easy to use print maker.

2.0

RESEARCH

2.1

WHAT IS PRINT MAKING?
Print making is the process of making artworks by printing,
normally on paper. Print making normally covers only the
process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather
than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting.

2.2

PRINTING PROCESSES
RELIEF (Woodcut, Linoleum Cut, Letterpress, Collograph)
any process in which the printing surface is cut away so that
the image area alone remains raised on the surface. ink is rolled
across the surface of the matrix and the raised areas receive ink
while the areas that have been cut away do not.
INTAGLIO (Drypoint, Etching, Aquatint, Engraving,
Mezzotint, Photogravure, Photo-Etching)
intaglio is the general term used for any process in which ink
is held beneath the surface of the material in incised or etched
lines or marks. plates are printed by working ink into the entire
surface, which is then wiped clean. dampened paper is pressed
into the plate with a press forcing the ink onto the paper, while
embossing the mark of the plate and its surface. intaglio comes
from the Italian word intagliare meaning “to incise”
MONOTYPE / MONOPRINT
A monotype is essentially a printed painting. ink is applied to a
plate, which is typically plexiglas, by painting or by using rollers,
and then printed to a sheet of paper. the image is unique, hence
‘mono’ meaning ‘one’, although a faint ‘ghost’ impression can be
printed the second time through the press. A monoprint may
incorporate monotype techniques, but also employs an image
printed from a matrix such as a lithograph, woodcut, etching.

2.3

TIMELINE OF PRINTING TECHNIQUES
Drypoint
1460
Etching
1500

Movable type
1040

200
Woodblock
Printing

Lithography
1796

Mezzotint
1642

1640
Monotype

1454
Printing Press

1768
Aquatint

Linoleum Cut
1860

1843
Rotary press

Inkjet Printing
1976

Offset Printing
1875

Dot Matrix Printing
1964
Screen printing
1907

Digital Press
1993

1960
Phototypesetting

1886
Hot Metal & Stamping
Typesetting

1986
3D printing

1969
Lazer Printing

2.4

INTRODUCTION TO HAND PRINTING TECHNIQUES

2.4.1 LETTERPRESS

• Letterpress is a relief printing technique.
• Individual letters and punctuations are placed carefully in a stick,
which is then transferred on the chase, fit and then locked on the
chase bed in the letterpress machine.
• The ink is then spread on the letters by the ink roller, the machine
then works in a back and forth manner making an impression on
the paper which is placed parallel to the chase.
• Letterpress was the first form of mass production of print
• Extremely important technological innovation, print now
became available to the masses
• The print makes an impression on the paper like no other printing
technique. The print is tactile.
• Letterpress gives a greater visual definition to the type compared
to other prints.
• Letterpress excels at fine typography
• Classic feel and finish of the letterpress paper takes us back to an
era of quality and craftsmenship.

2.4.2 MONOPRINT

• Monotype is the truly ‘painterly’ print medium.
• Invented by Giovanni Castiglione, an Italian painter and Etcher.
• It is one of the only print techniques which requires no special tools
to allow you to expand your imagination to unlimited possibilities.

• Monotype is print making made by drawing or painting on a
smooth, nonabsorbent surface.

• Monotypes can also be created by inking an entire surface and then,
using brushes or rags, removing ink to create a subtractive image.

• After printing, the images can be an art work in their own right,
or can be reworked to completion using various types of media.

2.4.3 LINOLEUM CUT

• Linocut is a print making technique, a variant of woodcut in
which a sheet of linoleum is used for the relief surface.

• This technique was used first by the artists of Die Brücke in
Germany between 1905–13

• A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife!
V-shaped chisel or gouge, with the raised (uncarved) areas
representing a reversal (mirror image) of the parts to show printed.

• The linoleum sheet is inked with a roller (called a brayer), and then
impressed onto paper or fabric.

2.4.4 DRYPOINT

• Drypoint is a print making technique of the intaglio family.
• Invented in Germany in the 1460s.
• In this technique you scratch out your design on to the petg plastic
sheet using either needles or scalps. This scratch creates a burr.

• Once you scratch out your design you apply ink to the entire
plastic sheet, then with a tartalan cloth you wipe the extra ink of
leaving ink only the burr, although you have to be very careful
while applying pressure so the burrs don’t flatten.

• The drypoint point technique was abandoned soon after its
invention, though the 20th century has seen a lot of artists using this.

4 Would you buy a machine that will let you experiment
with different hand printing techniques?
36%

64%

yes

maybe

no

4 Would you buy a machine that will let you experiment
with different hand printing techniques?

"Yes. When printing by hand invariably more thought and focus
is given to the design before as compared to digital prints, which
as a designer tests our skills"” - Amrita Mohanty
"I haven’t ever used a letterpress and probably wouldn’t ever buy
one, but as a textile design student I’d like to experiment and see
how these techniques ﬁgure out on cloth and other materials"” Gauree Malhotra
"Yes, because hand printing techniques always have this sense
of originality which I feel lacks in a lot of our work"” - Aisha
Chabbra
"“Hand printing techniques require concentration and great
amount of discipline, which we usually forego while working on
our computers”" - Aditi Dash
"“I would love to leave my laptop aside and just design using my
hands"” - Shruti Gupta
"“I would, but only once in a blue moon, it requires way too time
consuming, you can almost give prints any look now a days"” Harshvardhan Gantha

“"W ith the types of prints and the expanse at which they are
available, the revival of the letterpress and other printing
techniques will be more as an art form, where artists and
designers can really experiment."” - Kavya Singh
“"I love letterpress, I love the way it looks, the way it feels, it
really makes your design speak. It is more time consuming, but I
would definitely use it more as a printing technique"” - Surasti KP
“"Not many students know off these techniques as such, so I
guess it will come back as more of an art form or a ground for
experimenting more than a hard core printing technique.”" - Cara
Tejpal
“"Both actually, if you look at it they go hand-in-hand, its what
you make of it, I might use is to mass produce an absolutely
experimental piece of work. Its definitely time consuming to
print regularly with these techniques, but with limited editions
for things, they work well!"” - Aditi Dash

2.7

CONCLUSION
•• There is high interest amongst design students to work with
their hands.
• However not many have got the opportunity to do so.
•• Experimentation is an essential aspects of printing by hand.
•• It helps breaking away from softwares and brings originality
to work.
•• Printing by hand encourages practical learning of layout and
typography.
••• The print-maker should be affordable and available in India.

3.0

SKETCHES

3.1

HANDMADE SKETCHES

3.2

PROTOTYPE

HINGES

INK PLATE

3.3

SKETCH-UP MODEL

Chase

L-angle

Roller
Ink Plate

Wooden Body
Place for Paper

Handle

Initially the chase was removable and replacable, though due
to technical difficulties that wasn't possible and an alternative
solution was then used.

4.0

PROMOTIONS

5.0

THE WORKSHOP

5.1

INVENTORY
RUBBER SHEET
ACRYLIC WHEELS

RUBBER ROLLER

1/2 INCHMETAL
L-ANGLES

METAL STRIP
HINGES
HANDLE
SCREWS

WOOD

5.2

SEQUENCE OF OPERATIONS
2 pieces of wood were cut, one
10"X12" and the other 8"X12".

Due to the nonavailibility of 1/2"
L-angles. The Rolling
path had to be created
with a 1/2" square pipe.

A screen printing rubber
roller was used to
create the roller for the
machine.

The edges were refined.

Roller was detached
from the metal holder.

Then the acrylic wheels
were attached to either end.

The L-angles were drilled and
then screwed on to the larger
piece of wood.

The rollers were held in place using
metal strips screwed on lighly.
Hence, allowing the rollers to move.

The 2 pieces of wood were
attached with the help of hinges.

The chase

The first attempt at making this machine
was a fail. The top flap didn't shut and
touch the chase was too high. The roller also
didn't move beyond a point as it didn't have
enought time to roll on a flat surface.

The process was then repeated, this time the
lenght of the wood was 15". And the chase
was made shorter.

6.0

THE MACHINE

7.0

PRINTS

8.0

REFLECTION

I saw this project as a challenge, and it sure did turn out to
be one. I saw many failures during my process, but I stayed
determined to achieve what I set out to. Product design is not
my forte, so I didn't see or approach this project as a product
designer. I saw it as a person who loves print, specially one
that has an unique character. Throughout my journey, I kept
in mind how graphic designers think, what they do, and what
they are used to. Being so caught up in our computers, has
somewhere made our lives easy. Thus, this machine had to be
as uncomplicated as possible. I made sure any extra elements
were excluded.
The first time when the machine was ready, it didn't shut. I
was extremely disappointed, but quick to figure where it went
wrong and start over. This time the machine shut, the roller
rolled, everything seemed perfect. I was ready to print, 100%
sure nothing could go wrong now. The paper was in place, the
roller inked the type, all that was left was to shut the machine.
So I went ahead, shut the machine, re-opened it and... not a
letter got printed. At this point, I definitely gave up a little.
Mr. David, Ravi anna from the wet lab and Insiyah really
pushed me at this point. They believed in what I could achieve
so much, that I had never felt so confident in myself before. I
then disintegrated the machine and checked each part to see
where the problem lied. It was found that the rubber back
was too hard, and wasn't allowing the paper to sink into the
type. The back was then changed, from rubber to foam and the
machine finally started printing.
At first the prints weren't great, but they did keep improving
with minor changes. Finally, the prints that I got were

satisfying. Though not the best! I can proudly say I did achieve
what I wanted, and with some more effort and refinement this
machine could certainly turn out be something worth owning
by every designer.
This project has definitely thought me a lot. For one, to push
myself beyond what I believe I'm capable of. As a person
who could never imagine themselves in the workshop, the
workshop doesn't feel like such a scary place anymore. I
feel confident working with tools, drills, cutting machines.
Product design makes you pay a great amount of attention to
detail, think quick and act fast. The decisions you make while
you're working can really make or break your end product.
And once you've done something there is no COMMAND + Z
to go back. So you have think things through thoroughly.
W ith the product skills this project has given me, and with
the immense love I have for type and with the want to create
something new. I would love to take this forward, and turn
what is good into the best.